Inadequately Katie
by FredFanatic
Summary: Loud, unladylike, tempermental, irresponsible...just a few words Roger Davies used to describe Katie Bell. Now, she's determined to change for the better. But by "fixing" her flaws, she starts to lose herself. Who will set it right again? Fratie.
1. The List

**A/N:** Hooray! It's my first try at a Fratie story that's longer than a one-shot. I'm eager to get this one started. No idea how often I'm going to be able to update (what with everything else I've got going on) but I'm going to try my best.

I hope you all enjoy it! Please remember to review!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Everything you recognize, including characters, plot points, settings, and scenes from the _Harry Potter_ series, belong to JK Rowling.

* * *

**Inadequately Katie**

**--- CHAPTER ONE ---**

_The List_

_

* * *

_

_Everything I hate about Katie Bell:_

_1. She never shuts up_

_2. She thinks she knows EVERYTHING_

_3. She's loud_

_4. She's unladylike_

_5. She has a horrible temper_

_6. She can't be serious_

_7. She's irresponsible_

_8. Her friends are obnoxious (Fred and George Weasley)_

_9. She laughs when it's inappropriate_

_10. She doesn't listen (she refuses to be told what to do)_

Have you ever felt betrayed? Stupid? Lost? Inadequate?

How about all of the above?

I have lived on this earth for seventeen years, and I have been living my life feeling all of those things at once.

I may be overreacting a little bit. I have an okay life, I guess. It's fairly average. I go through every day doing basically what I would any day. I wake up, I get dressed, eat, go to classes, eat again, some more classes, eat one more time, play Quidditch, goof around with my friends, and then go to bed.

My school life is typical. My grades are average, my teachers are fairly amicable (aside from Snape), and I get by well enough. I have a favourite class, like anyone else, but I tend to not enjoy class work.

My social life, again, is typical. I spend my free time lounging around with my peers after dinner, laughing and talking about the same old boring stuff we've always talked about. I have my own small group of people I spend most of my time with, along with a few mismatched acquaintances I talk to from time to time. Even the relationships I have with my friends are fairly predictable.

But even there, amongst my greatest friends in the world, I feel inadequate. Inferior. Insufficient.

My group consists of six people, including myself. Five of us joined forces due to the fact that we're all on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I tend to get along better with people with the same interests as myself, and that's something we all have in common—a passion for Quidditch.

The first two members of our clique are Fred and George Weasley. I've known the two of them since I first stepped foot on the Hogwarts Express during my first year of school. The two are twins, both with flaming red hair and an array of freckles littering their cheeks, and the two of them are the biggest trouble makers I've ever met in my life. They're always good for a laugh, and love being the centre of attention. They could definitely be pegged as the leaders of our group—if we were to have such a thing.

Next up is Alicia Spinnet. She's our resident "dumb blonde". I hope that doesn't offend anyone—I mean it in the best possible way. Alicia is a sweetheart, and she's actually quite bright. She does well in her classes, and can beat out nearly anyone in a game of Wizard's Chess. But when it comes to common sense…well…let's just say she could use some improvement in that area. Alicia's the shy one. She even dyed her hair dark brown just to avoid Fred and George teasing her about being a blonde. Unlike the two of them, she ducks away from any attention that comes her way.

Lee Jordan is our loud-mouth. He never stops talking, which is probably why he's snagged himself a job as Quidditch commentator for the games played between houses. He's very big on public speaking, and loves to tell stories. He'll go on for hours if you don't interrupt him.

The fifth member is Angelina Johnson. This one is the slave-driver. Angelina is the hardest working person I've ever known. She gives everything in life all she's got, whether its school work, or pushing herself to the brink of death in Quidditch practices. She's got more drive than anyone.

So that about covers it. We've got our pranksters, our shy (and mildly stupid) sweetheart, the headache-inducing loud mouth, and the hard worker. That just leaves me. Me in my entire inadequate glory.

I'm not sure what you'd classify me as. I'm fairly funny, but I can't take that title as it belongs to the twins. I'm a bit of a klutz and I tend to lose my head, but not nearly as much as Alicia. I work hard when it counts, but I'm nothing compared to Ang. And as for talking…I've been known to ramble on, but there's no one who enjoys it as much as Lee.

I guess you could say I'm the middle-man (if such a thing can even exist in a group of six). Not one of my traits really outshines any of the others. No one gives me a second glance when I'm with my friends. This may be because of the fact that I simply don't stand out, or perhaps because the other personalities are just so strong that they outshine me. Whatever it is, I've put up with it for years.

I could easily find new friends—become the prankster or the loud-mouth in a group that lacks a member—but I'm not ambitious enough. I guess I wouldn't be able to fill Angelina's shoes in any case.

My love life has always been dull and loathsome. The only boyfriend I had during my first five years at Hogwarts was in third year with Melvin Luthegrow. He was a stupid little thing, only reaching two thirds of my height, and he clung to me everywhere I went. It was lucky he was a Hufflepuff and not a Gryffindor, or I never would have been able to escape him. Anyway, it didn't last long. I ditched him a mere four days after I had agreed to be his girlfriend. Since then, my love life hasn't improved much. In fact, looking back, I think I prefer that relationship.

The next boyfriend I was _fortunate_ enough to snag was Ravenclaw Quidditch captain Roger Davies. I suppose that can be considered an accomplishment, as much of the female population seem to adore the bloke.

But anyway, he asked me to be his girlfriend. I said yes, and was stupid enough to fall for him. I'm talking full-force, idiotic young love.

And, as most relationships go, this one fell through.

He didn't think I was _good enough_ for him. I was insufficient, unsatisfactory, lacking.

The funny thing is, instead of being not enough of something, as I tended to be with my friends, Roger Davies thought I was _too_ much. I was _too_ sarcastic, I was _too_ wild, and I was _too_ talkative. And that was the reason he dumped me.

I was devastated. Roger was important to me. I had fallen honestly, deeply, and stupidly in love with him. And he had crushed me.

Stupid sod.

And that's where I am today. Stuck in the rut Roger Davies left me in, feeling stupid, betrayed, lost, and _inferior_.

And I was going to change it.

But I needed help.

And who better to enlist than my two greatest girlfriends?

"She never shuts up," Angelina mused.

She was staring down at a piece of parchment I had handed her. It was a list of all the reasons why Roger Davies couldn't stand me. He had written it himself for my benefit—said maybe if I worked on those things I'd be a little easier to live with. Quite the parting gift, wouldn't you say? It had offended me, and I had turned to Angelina and Alicia for help.

"Yeah…I can see that," Alicia said. She was seated on her four-poster bed, her head stuck in some rubbish romance novel. "You do tend to be a little overly talkative."

I glared at her. "You know very well I am not the only talkative one around. No one ever accuses Lee of talking too much."

"Lee talks for a reason," Angelina said. "You just like the sound of your own voice."

I scowled.

"That is _not_ true."

Angelina waved it off and kept reading.

"She thinks she knows everything," Angelina read. She paused and looked up at me. "You _can_ be a bit of a know-it-all at times."

"Giving an _opinion_ is not being a know-it-all," I said defensively. "It's not my fault I'm observant."

Alicia snickered, but said nothing. Angelina continued.

"She's loud," Angelina said with a thoughtful nod. "Well, no one can argue that one."

"I have to be loud," I said. "If I weren't I'd never get a word in with you lot. Fred and George alone drown out the rest of us."

"I'll give you that," Alicia said with a grin.

"HA!" Angelina laughed, looking down at the list. "She's _unladylike_," she read, chortling.

Alicia laughed out loud.

"It sounds like these are pretty legitimate claims, Katie," she said.

I rolled my eyes up to the ceiling.

"I shouldn't have even asked you guys to help," I said angrily.

"She has a horrible temper," Angelina recited. She quirked an eyebrow at me as I scowled back at her. "I think that one goes without saying." She looked back down at the list. "She can't be serious…you do have an issue with that."

"I can be serious," I disagreed. "I'm being serious right now."

"You're not being serious," Alicia said. "You're being dramatic."

"Hmm," Angelina said, "over-dramatic isn't even listed here. Maybe we should add it."

I snatched the list away from them angrily.

"That's enough," I said, wrinkling up my list and shoving it into my pocket. "If you two are going to take his side in this, then I am dismissing you."

"Dismissing us from what?" Alicia asked.

"Helping me get over the stupid wanker!" I yelled, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course, neither of you seems to keen on doing that. I reckon you just want to see me suffer so I'll be just as miserable as you lot."

"Miserable?!" Alicia objected. "Ang may be miserable, but I most certainly am no—"

"Spare me the psycho babble, Leesh," I said in a bored tone. "We all know that underneath your ridiculous happy-go-lucky façade, you're just as pathetic as the rest of us."

"Someone's in a cheery mood," Angelina muttered.

"Well sorry if I just got _dumped_ and my two best friends don't even know how to console me in my time of need," I said bitterly.

The two girls simultaneously rolled their eyes.

"Yes, we definitely need to add dramatic," Angelina said.

I didn't laugh.

"Come on, let us see the rest of the list," Angelina said, holding her hand out expectantly.

"Not a chance," I said. "I've decided I'll find someone new to handle this mission. You two clearly aren't up for it."

"Oh calm down, Kates," Alicia said with another roll of her eyes. "We weren't _actually_ taking Roger's side."

I grumbled in response.

"Come on, hand it over," Angelina urged.

I sighed and gave in, thrusting the list back into her grip. Somehow instead of helping, the girls were making me feel worse about the situation.

"She's irresponsible," Angelina read.

"You do tend to get your priorities mixed up," Alicia pointed out.

"I thought you said you were going to be on my side," I objected.

Angelina ignored the interruption, and continued without commenting. I hoped she would keep it that way. I was tired of them reinforcing Roger's opinions of me. I felt bad enough as it was.

"Her friends are obnoxious," Angelina read. This time she looked offended.

"He wrote that?" Alicia asked, getting up to look over Angelina's shoulder. Her mouth dropped open in shock.

"He was referring to Fred and George," I said, recalling that their names had been placed in brackets. Roger had always expressed his dislike for the twins. I think it was just because he lacked a sense of humour.

"Still," Alicia said with a frown. "That's pretty rude."

"Oh, I'm so sorry for you," I said sarcastically. "It must be awful for someone to find you obnoxious."

Alicia scowled at me.

"At least no one wrote an entire list about all of your faults and used it against you," I told her irritably.

"Alright, alright," Angelina said. "We get it. He's an ass."

"Finish the list," I told them.

"She laughs when it's inappropriate," Alicia continued, taking the list from Angelina's hands. She didn't comment this time. She seemed too upset over being called obnoxious. I was a little relieved.

"And, last but not least…She doesn't listen," she said, finishing up the list.

"Well…can anyone really blame him for that one?" Angelina asked. "I'd bet any money Professor McGonagall would whole-heartedly agree."

I grumbled something unintelligible at them.

Alicia turned the parchment over to check the back.

"Hmm," she said thoughtfully. "Well, that's not so bad."

"Not so bad?" I asked her incredulously. "He gave me a list of all the reasons why he didn't want to be with me! Of _course_ it's bad."

The other two grimaced.

"Okay, so it's bad," Angelina agreed. "But so what? Who cares what he thinks?"

I scowled.

"I do," I said. "_I _care."

"Kates, what does it matter?" Alicia asked. "So he broke up with you. You're better off without him, clearly."

She tossed the list down in distaste, letting it fall to the floor.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about," Angelina assured me.

I stared flabbergasted at her. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "You just read that entire list and agreed with everything on it!"

The girls frowned a little.

"But Katie—"

"No," I interrupted. "No buts. You both said it yourself. Everything on this list is true."

"No it's not," Angelina disagreed.

"Yes, it is!" I urged. "It's all true! It's no wonder he broke up with me. I wouldn't want to be with me either."

I was growing more and more glum by the minute. I stooped to pick the wretched list up off of the floor and stared down at it thoughtfully. A thought came into my head and I made up my mind almost immediately.

"I'm going to change," I said firmly. I tried to force back my hurt feelings in an attempt to sound strong.

Angelina and Alicia eyed me with uncertainty in their eyes.

"What are you talking about, Kates?" Alicia asked.

"Everything on this list," I said, waving it in front of them, "I'm going to change all of it."

"Don't be stupid," Angelina said with a sigh. "There's no reason for you to get all worked up over this."

"Yes there is, Ang," I disagreed. "I can't expect to have real relationships with people if no one can stand me."

"Kates…" Alicia said warily.

"No," I said firmly. "I've made up my mind. Starting tomorrow…every day I'm going to change one thing on this list."

I spoke with finality, and although both of them stared at me with expressions of doubt and disbelief, I was set on my decision.

"What will that accomplish?" Angelina questioned carefully. She didn't want to upset me any more than she already had. My mood had deteriorated enough already.

"If I can change everything on that list…" I paused. I wasn't sure.

"Roger might take you back?" Alicia guessed, frowning.

"Maybe," I answered. "But even if he doesn't…I can't very well continue on the way I am. If I do, no one will ever look at me twice."

"Katie—"

"No," I said again. "I've decided. I am going to change."

The two of them exchanged glances. They looked uncertain.

"I will," I said. It sounded like a warning.

I was done being the girl who was stuck in a group where everyone else outshined me. I was tired of being labelled by Roger as an un-dateable moron. I was sick of being the middle-man.

From now on I was going to be different, not inadequate.

Angelina and Alicia frowned deeply.

"Okay, Kates," they said.

That settled it.

Starting tomorrow, I was going to be the _perfect_ Katie Bell.


	2. Shut Up

**A/N:** Just for everyone's information, I've stuck Katie in the same year as Fred/George/Angelina/Alicia/Lee for this story. I am aware that it's not canon.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Everything you recognize, including characters, plot points, settings, and scenes from the _Harry Potter_ series, belong to JK Rowling.

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Inadequately Katie

**--- CHAPTER TWO ---**

_Shut Up_

* * *

**Day One**

I woke up the next morning knowing exactly what it was I needed to do. The plan was going to be officially put into motion. I showered, got dressed, and picked up Roger's list. Each day I was going to focus my energy on one of the ten points. I eyed the list. I might as well start with number one. Every day after that, I'd add another number to my focus. Hopefully, by the end of ten days I will have mastered all ten things on the list.

I read the first number at the top of the bit of parchment. I frowned in determination. _She never shuts up_ was the first fault I had to work on.

Simple enough.

All I had to do to combat that was shut myself up. I could handle not rambling on like I usually did. I could limit myself to speaking only when it was relevant, and I wouldn't offer up any more than was necessary to the conversation. It's not like anyone wanted to hear my life story, anyway.

Satisfied that I would be able to handle the challenge for today, I stuck Roger's list on the post of my four-poster bed with a sticky charm. Hopefully by the end of the day I would have the first item mastered.

As I pulled my shoes on, I noticed that the other girls had already gone down to breakfast.

I frowned. It wasn't like them not to wait for me.

I shrugged into my school robes. I wouldn't be surprised if they were seated at breakfast telling everyone what a crock I had been last night, freaking out about Roger Davies and his bloody list.

I sniggered.

I'd show them. Angelina and Alicia may not have faith that I could change everything on that list, but I would pull it off.

I picked up my book bag and set out for the Great Hall. With every step I psyched myself up for today's mission:

Shut up.

When I made it down to breakfast, my mates were all seated around looking cheerful. And why shouldn't they be? It was a lovely day, judging by the ceiling of the Great Hall depicting the sky outside (a bright, cloudless blue), and although we had classes, Care of Magical Creatures was delivered outdoors.

I hurried over to the Gryffindor table, reminding myself once more what my task was. I chanced one look over at the Ravenclaw table. Roger was seated there looking as smug and happy as ever.

I scowled.

He was going to regret dumping me.

Fred had saved me a seat next to him. He did it every day. My scowl lifted a little as he caught my eye and grinned. I grinned back, unable to help myself. Fred's cheerfulness was infectious. It was no wonder he was my best mate.

Although we had been friends since we first met on the train to Hogwarts, we had hit a bit of a glitch during the past few months. Fred didn't approve of my relationship with Roger Davies, and he was never shy about voicing his opinion that I was making a mistake. He thought Roger was a ponce.

Well, I guess there was no longer a problem there.

"Good morning Katie!" he said cheerfully as I claimed my spot next to him. His blue eyes were sparkling with familiar giddy happiness. Underneath was the ever-present mischief that got him into so much trouble.

When I was around him, I couldn't be anything but happy.

"Morning," I replied, plastering on a smile.

George stuck his head out from Fred's other side and grinned at me as well.

"How did you sleep?" George asked as I filled my plate with a selection of eggs, toast, and sausage.

I opened my mouth to launch into an explanation of how I didn't sleep very well at all. How thoughts of Roger were running through my head all night, keeping me from sleeping. But I caught myself, choking on my words before they came out.

"Er—fine, thanks," I said instead, coughing up nothing at all.

In front of me, Angelina and Alicia were eyeing me with suspicion. I knew they were wondering if I was seriously going to follow through with the plan I had made last night. I reckoned they doubted me entirely.

Lee, from my other side, helpfully pounded me on the back, causing me to do an almost-face-plant into my food.

"Oww!" I protested, using my hands to stop me from getting a face-full of scrambled egg.

"Sorry," Lee said, mouth full of toast, "thought you were choking."

I scowled at him as he spewed crumbs all over my robes.

"Yeah, thanks," I said sarcastically.

"Uh oh," Alicia said suddenly, her eyes looking somewhere behind me. "Don't look now, Katie, but here comes Davies."

My eyebrows shot up to my hairline and my heartbeat picked up. Of course, as soon as someone says _don't look_, look is the first thing I do.

Stupidly, I turned around in my seat, looking over my shoulder. There he was, in all of his athletic Quidditch captain glory.

I was facing Roger, completely covered in crumbs. My mouth was opening and closing at its own will, and I looked very much like a suffocating fish, I'm sure.

I flushed a brilliant shade of crimson as he approached me, looking both fierce and handsome at the same time. I'm ashamed to admit that despite the horrid list he had written about me, I still found myself horribly attracted to him.

I had barely squeaked out a sheepish, "Hi, Roger," before he was standing right in front of me.

He flung a book down on the table in front of my food. I eyed my copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages_ as it hit Fred's glass of juice and threatened to topple it over. Alicia's hands shot out to steady everything, and my eyes unwillingly met Roger's.

"Just returning your book, Bell," he said.

His voice sounded eerily cold and firm. I didn't much care for it. I especially hated the way he called me _Bell_. It was as though we had never been close enough to be on first-name terms.

Roger had never been a gentle or soft-spoken bloke. He was always a little rough around the edges. But that was what attracted me to him. He was harsh and strong. I suppose a bit of a bad boy, if you wanted to put it that way.

But still, the way he spoke to me now was full of unspoken anger. Clearly he wasn't happy with me.

I frowned.

If anyone should be angry, it should be _me._

"Leave any more helpful tips for me inside?" I asked, feeling my anger bubble up inside of me as I scowled up at him. "Or do you draw the line and vandalising my belongings?"

His eyes widened a little in surprise. He looked taken aback. I smirked. He probably hadn't ever been spoken to like that before.

My self-righteousness faltered a bit.

That's probably why he didn't like me.

The way he looked at me now was with a sneer. For the first time since I'd met him, he looked honestly and truly unpleasant.

Unfortunately, it just made me feel worse.

Because _I _was the one who made him look like that. I was the one who made him so angry. If it weren't for me and my stupid loud mouth, he would still be with me and we'd both be happy…all smiles, none of this evil sneering.

I immediately regretted my words, and tried to say something to fix it.

"Look, Roger, I'm sor—"

"You really don't know how to shut up, do you, Bell," he said with a roll of his eyes.

My sentence faded on my tongue just as Fred leapt to my rescue.

"Hey!" he yelled, spinning around in his seat to glare at him. "Bugger off, Davies, if you don't want to end up with a wand shoved up those over-sized nostrils of yours."

I heard the girls snickering behind me, but I didn't have the heart to find Fred's threat funny. I was too focused on Roger's words.

_You really don't know how to shut up._

_Damnit_.

I wasn't even through with breakfast, and I'd already failed the first task on my list.

How could I expect to win back Roger's respect if I couldn't even make it through one measly hour?

"You'd best sod off, mate, lest you be soaked in pumpkin juice," Lee said threateningly. He was holding a glass full of juice in his hand menacingly. If I hadn't been so down on myself, I would have found it amusing.

Roger rolled his eyes, but didn't respond. He left, and as he went I could just make out the muttered words _immature_ and _obnoxious_ leave his mouth.

I frowned at his retreating figure as the boys turned back around in their seats. Angelina and Alicia were looking on with expressions mixed between amusement and disapproval. I was beginning to feel that no one liked Roger very much.

"What a bloody good-for-nothing wanker," Fred muttered angrily.

"Honestly Katie," George said, eyeing me incredulously. "I have no idea what you saw in him."

_Saw_. Past tense.

That wasn't right.

_See_. Present tense.

That was more like it.

And I was going to do whatever it took to get that bloody good-for-nothing wanker back.

* * *

My head wasn't where it should have been during classes. Although, I suppose my head was never exactly in the right place during classes. I was never one to pay much attention to lessons…for that reason, I was third only to Fred and George for the most Gryffindor detentions.

That was something I was actually strangely proud off, as odd as it sounds.

Today, however, instead of ignoring lessons in the usual sense (by passing notes back and forth with Alicia, or having paper airplane wars with Fred) my head was focused entirely on not thinking about Roger Davies.

His words at breakfast had really gotten to me…and I was very ashamed to admit it. Of course, I wasn't really fooling anyone. It was clear to both Alicia and Angelina that I was really upset over the whole _list_ incident. At least I could relax a bit knowing none of the boys were aware of the situation. The girls were sensible enough not to inform them (we couldn't afford to let them tear Roger's head off and get themselves sent to Azkaban).

Although none of them would openly admit it, all of my friends were highly protective of me. We all defended each other, as it were. We could take the mickey out of one another, tear each other apart, but no outsider was allowed to do the same.

Despite the fact that I was obviously inferior to all of my friends, and truly deserved the treatment I was receiving from Roger, everyone had gone into defensive mode.

Fred, George, and Lee were looking out for me the only way they knew how—by threatening to use physical force. The girls, however unhelpful they may have been yesterday, were supportive in the sense that they were letting me work through it on my own. I knew them well enough to guess that neither of them agreed with my line of thinking, but they were going to let me make my own mistakes.

The only thing was, I knew I wasn't making a mistake. This thing with Roger was serious. I _was_ going to rectify the situation.

Call me stubborn, but I just couldn't let him get to me like that. I was going to prove him wrong.

So, while my mind was wandering through my game plan, I took hardly any notice of the happenings around me during class.

McGonagall was droning on about something boring. Fred and George were setting chocolate frogs loose in the classroom, encouraging them to climb up people's robes. Lee was carving profanities into the stone floor. Angelina was trying hard not to fall asleep, and Alicia was prodding her in the back, muttering something in her ear under her breath.

Normally, I'd have joined in on the chaos—I quite enjoyed causing McGonagall's face to turn that delightful shade of maroon when she was angry. But today, with my head so stuffed full of Roger, I was focused on one thing, and one thing only.

_Shut up_, Katie.

I had been holding my tongue for a full four and half hours now, and Merlin was it ever _hard_.

Every time Angelina groaned in annoyance as Alicia continued to whisper in her ear, I was tempted to lean over and make a smart ass comment. With each individual chuckle from Fred's lips, I wanted to turn around and ask what was so amusing that I was missing out on.

But instead, I clenched my jaw and faced forward, intent on keeping my mouth shut.

My eyes were staring at the back of McGonagall's head as she wrote on the chalkboard. I sure as hell wasn't paying attention, but I was forcing myself to ignore the nagging voice at the back of my head that was telling me to join in on the fun. This was proving to be a more difficult task than I had originally intended.

Professor McGonagall's attention was suddenly captured, when Alicia spoke up, realizing Angelina was no longer listening to her rant.

"Did you even hear me?" she said, a little too loudly.

The stern witch turned around immediately, looking fierce.

"Miss Bell!" she spun around to face me, and then stopped short, realizing in an instant it wasn't me who had spoken out of turn.

Her eyes fell instead on Alicia (who looked intensely embarrassed), and then snapped back to me.

I stared up at her innocently.

"Oh," McGonagall said, looking a tad sheepish. "My apologies, Miss Bell."

I nodded curtly, feeling a little bit taken aback.

Was I really that bad?

Had I gotten so irritating that teachers suspected it was me before examining the evidence?

McGonagall stared at me for a moment longer, as though she were waiting for confirmation that it indeed _had_ been me who spoke up.

I stayed quiet, and she turned away, looking highly confused and more than a little flustered.

"Miss Spinnet," she said, "please pay attention."

She spun back around, and my mouth dropped open a little.

Whenever _I_ was caught speaking out of turn, McGonagall was sure to give me a punishment. Alicia had gotten off scot-free!

Outraged, I made a move to speak up and demand an explanation.

I caught myself at the last second.

_Not today, Bell_, I reminded myself.

Today, I was turning a new leaf.

McGonagall returned her attention back to the notes on the board—notes that I was so adamantly ignoring. Sure, I was turning a new leaf, but there was no need to go overboard, now was there?

It was then that I felt something thump me on the back, right between my shoulder blades.

I turned around and spotted Fred eyeing me with an obviously confused and concerned expression.

"What was that?" he asked, sounding completely bewildered.

I shook my head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Like hell you don't," he said. "She didn't even take away house points from Alicia. Last time you yelled out during class you got a detention with Filch."

I stared blankly back at Fred, pretending not to know what he was getting at.

"Does that not _bother_ you?" he asked. He said it in a way that made me certain he knew it _was_ bothering me.

I shrugged.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he questioned.

He looked sincerely confused.

I frowned deeply. What was wrong with me? I must be a positively _terrible_ person regularly. One day keeping my mouth shut, and suddenly my best mate thinks I've gone mental. That didn't make me look—or feel—very good.

I shrugged again. Any doubts I had had about my plan began to ebb away. I didn't want to be known as the girl who was regularly defined as _annoying_ . If Fred thought something was weird, that just meant it was working.

If I kept it up, in ten days I'd be a changed person.

And—all good luck provided—at the end of ten days, I would have Roger Davies back.

* * *

I was feeling quite triumphant by the time dinner rolled around.

I had made it through the entire day without letting my mouth get out of control. I was respectful in class, I listened intently when spoken to, and only gave my input when it was strictly necessary.

By the end of the day, I had made quite the accomplishment.

For the first time in my seventeen years of life, I had managed to _shut up_.

The thought had me feeling on top of the world.

As we sat in the Great Hall, I could tell Alicia and Ange were scrutinizing my every move. Neither of them had expected me to get through the day. I had to admit even I was a little surprised. Holding my tongue proved to be a very difficult feat.

I was positive the blokes hadn't figured out what was going on. Fred kept shooting me frightened looks, as though he thought my head were about to explode, but none of them said anything.

Fred hadn't let up, however, from our conversation during Transfiguration class. He was still trying to figure out my motives.

It was hard work being best mates with a Weasley twin. They never rested until they knew everything. And if there was one thing I knew about Fred and George Weasley, it was that when they set their minds to something, they accomplished it.

It was for that reason that Fred had been filling me in for the last quarter of an hour about his plans for _Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes_, he and George's joke shop.

He was trying to peak my interest, and get me talking. He had obviously recognized the fact that I was behaving out-of-the-ordinary.

"What do you think of that?" Fred asked enthusiastically. He looked at me expectantly. The glee in his expression was evident.

I smiled up at him and shrugged my shoulders.

"Sounds good," I said simply, gritting my teeth to restrain myself from saying more. It took almost all of my energy to keep from spilling my guts. It was especially difficult with Fred staring at me like that. Something about him made it much more difficult for me to keep myself quiet.

_No one needs to hear it_, I reminded myself.

His grin faltered a bit.

"Sounds good?" he repeated, sounding disappointed. "That's it?"

"Sure, why?" I asked.

"I would have thought you'd have a little more to say," Fred urged.

I very nearly faltered, looking at his encouraging blue eyes then. He was always so hard to deny.

I held myself back. I was not going to let Fred Weasley's need for praise stray me from my goal. I had a plan and I was going to stick to it.

"That's _really_ good, Fred," I told him.

He frowned, and looked down at me with a puzzled expression.

"What has been going on with you today?" he asked.

I fiddled around with my fork, pushing shapes into my mashed potatoes. I wasn't about to tell Fred about what had happened between Roger and I. The last thing I wanted was for the twins to hunt him down and kick his sorry arse. Unfortunately, that would work against my plan to ultimately win him back.

"Nothing," I lied. I was positive he could see right through me.

"Does it have to do with Davies?" he asked suspiciously. His tone told me he already suspected as much.

"Of course not," I lied, stabbing my carrots with more force than necessary.

He eyed me in curiosity, clearly not taking me seriously in the slightest.

"Well…don't let him get to you," he said simply.

I looked over at him in surprise. Fred was never one to offer up a kind word. He wasn't so good with the whole _comforting_ thing. Although, after yesterday, I had a suspicion that not one of my friends knew what they were doing when it came to that sort of thing.

Instead of picking on Fred for being a _girl_ and trying to give me a word of advice, I kept my mouth shut, as I'd grown used to doing throughout the day.

_Don't let him get to you_…yeah, fat chance.

As we left the Great Hall after dinner, just as we were passing the threshold out of the room, Roger passed us. No one but me seemed to notice his advancement (probably because no one was as stupidly aware of him as I was), and they continued chatting animatedly. Meanwhile, my jaw clenched, and I immediately tensed up.

I nodded curtly, catching his attention.

"Roger," I said.

He eyed me with a look torn between bewilderment and disgust, before turning away without acknowledging me.

I frowned, feeling a twang of hurt pulse through me.

_It's only day one_, I told myself. How was he to know I was on the road of change?

It would just take more time.

And I was ready to step it up.


	3. Explosive

**A/N: **So, I tried to have this up yesterday, but document manager wasn't working. So you can blame the site for that.

Updates have been hard, and work has been getting the best of me lately. I haven't had much time to do any writing at all. Because of that, updates are not going to be as frequent as I'd like. I'll do my best to get chapters up when I can, of course…but you may have to practice being patient.

Thanks for all of the reviews so far! =)

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Everything you recognize, including characters, plot points, settings, and scenes from the _Harry Potter_ series, belong to JK Rowling.

**Inadequately Katie**

**- CHAPTER THREE -**

_Explosive_

**Day Two**

Day one hadn't gone as smoothly as I would have hoped. Not only did my friends all think I was mental keeping my tongue under control all day long, but I also managed to make a right fool of myself in front of Roger at breakfast. Nevertheless, I did manage to complete my task for the day. Overall, despite the minor setbacks, I'd still call it a success.

That meant I could progress to the next point on Roger's list.

When I woke up in the morning, I frowned at his scratchy writing on my four-poster bed. This one was going to take some creative thinking.

_She thinks she knows EVERYTHING._

How was I going to combat that?

As I got myself dressed and ready for the day, I pondered over exactly how I was going to rectify this particular fault. It took a few infuriatingly stupid ideas before I finally settled on the one that made the most sense.

In order to cease thinking I know everything, I needed to do the exact opposite. That meant I was going to know _nothing_.

Ah, seems simple enough.

Satisfied that my task for the day was doable, I happily pulled my shoes on and bounded down to the common room. This time, Angelina and Alicia were waiting there for me.

"Morning, Katie," Angelina greeted warily. "How are you feeling?"

I could tell she was feeling me out, trying to decipher my general mood. I shot her a wide grin in an attempt to convince her I was fine.

She would see. Sooner or later a brand new—and much _better_—Katie Bell would soon emerge.

I shrugged.

"I don't know," I replied. I was going to be saying it a lot today. "I'm good I suppose."

The wide grin on my face certainly contradicted my statement. As far as she could tell, I was _more_ than just good. I looked positively giddy. The prospect of becoming a better me was a little exciting. I only hoped Roger would think so, too.

Angelina's eyebrows rose in suspicion. Alicia's expression was very much the same.

"You're not still bothering about that list, are you?" Alicia asked suspiciously.

"Why wouldn't I?" I asked her, trying not to get defensive. It would ruin my good mood.

The two girls shared a look of exasperation, but said nothing. Perhaps they would have if Fred, George, and Lee hadn't bounded down the stairs interrupting us.

"Good morning, fair maidens!" George yelled, doing a ridiculous bow.

"Lovely to see you on such a fine morning!" Fred added, dipping so low he nearly lost balance and fell flat on his face. It didn't help that George shoved him in the back.

I laughed heartily as Fred linked his arm in mine, leading me toward the portrait hole door. I was thankful, because it saved me from seeing the disapproving stares I knew the girls were still sporting.

"Are you feeling any better today, Kates?" he asked cheerfully.

I smiled brightly at him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am," I replied honestly.

A new day, a new outlook on life.

And, of course…a new task.

As we meandered down to the Great Hall for breakfast, Fred chattered happily. I was only half-listening, as my mind was trying to come up with scenarios in which I could prove to Roger I was changing. Obviously I couldn't walk straight up to him and demand he reconsider—he was far too disgusted with me to take anything I say seriously. I would just have to _show_ him somehow…but how to make sure he saw?

The moment we stepped foot into the Great Hall, all of those thoughts went shooting out of my head.

I would have stopped dead in my tracks, had Fred not still been holding onto my arm, tugging me along.

At the Ravenclaw table sat Roger Davies—snogging a dark-haired Hufflepuff girl!

My eyes snapped away from the sight before I could cry out in outrage and disgust. Roger wouldn't like that. He'd yell at me, saying he has every right to snog whomever he wants…I suppose he does, considering we broke up.

But seriously, what did she have that I didn't? Sure, I could only see the back of her head from my angle, but from what I could tell she wasn't making much use of her vocal chords. If Roger only wanted to snog, he could have done that with me, no problem. I wouldn't have had to speak, either, which means he would never have found reasons to dislike being around me.

Dammit, Katie. Get a grip.

We claimed our usual seats at the Gryffindor table and everyone else chattered along obliviously. None of them took any notice of me—although Angelina and Alicia probably just figured I was simply holding my tongue the same as I had done yesterday.

"So, what are everyone's plans for next weekend?" Lee was asking. I was half-listening to the conversation, my eyes still trained on Roger and his new interest.

"The weekend?" Alicia asked.

"Hogsmeade weekend," Lee clarified, "had you forgotten?"

"That's right, next weekend _is_ a Hogsmeade weekend," Fred said excitedly. He turned toward me suddenly, failing to notice my attention was elsewhere. "How 'bout you and me go together Kates?"

"Hmm?" I said, barely registering that he was speaking to me. I was still too focused on staring over at Roger and his bimbo to really take in what he was saying. "Yeah, sure, whatever you want, Fred."

"Excellent," Fred said, his voice elated. I could see him grinning at me from the corner of my eye. I sent him a half-hearted smile in return, just to let him know I was paying attention.

It's too bad I wasn't, or I would have noticed the angry glares I was receiving from my girlfriends across the table, as well as the grin (that was even brighter than usual) on Fred's freckled face.

By the time lunch rolled around, I hadn't succeeded in doing anything more than thoroughly irritating my mates.

It seemed no one was very happy with the fact that I had suddenly been struck deaf, blind, and dumb. They were growing quite furious with my constant use of the words _I don't know_. Frankly, I was a little amused. If I had known what fun it would be to better me and my personality, I would have tried it sooner. No one appreciated a good laugh quite like I did—except maybe the twins—and annoying my friends certainly was funny, to say the very least.

George had labelled me as insane, and Lee had resorted to avoiding me until I was relieved of _'whatever bizarre disease was plaguing me'_. He didn't want to catch anything.

Fred didn't seem to be bothered by my change in demeanour. I figure he had chalked it up to being another one of my quirky Katie games. If it kept him off my back, I was fine with whatever conclusion he drew. I was already getting enough in the area of disapproval from Alicia and Ange.

Speaking of…Angelina had cornered me directly after lunch in an attempt to talk me out of my plan—again.

_Sigh_.

When was that girl going to give it a rest? Couldn't she cut me some slack for one bleeding minute?

"What in Merlin's name is your problem, Katie?" she asked, stopping me in the corridor on our way to Potions class.

Alicia stopped, glancing back at the two of us before deciding to listen in on the conversation. The boys cast a curious glance over their shoulders, but didn't linger. They were too busy laughing boisterously at some stupid joke George had made, anyway.

I sighed and rolled my eyes up to the ceiling. As funny as it was to watch everyone tripping over themselves because of me, it really wasn't helping my cause. With people constantly bombarding me, it was difficult to stay true to my task. I was seriously faltering with the whole _keep my mouth shut_ thing.

"I don't know, Ange," I replied, glancing back and forth between her and Alicia. Leesh looked substantially less angry. In fact, she even looked a tad bit amused. Angelina looked positively terrifying.

"I would have thought you'd have more sense than this," she said. "Why in the name of Godric Gryffindor would you ever think pursuing this stupid list would bring you any sort of good fortune?"

I felt my lips twitch as I fought back a smile. Her face was red with frustration. It was only going to get worse. She wasn't going to beat me.

"I don't know," I repeated stupidly.

"Ugh, Katie!" she said angrily. "I should just pin that to your forehead. Maybe _that_ would get Roger's attention."

I merely shrugged. It only seemed to egg her on further.

In all honesty, I was surprised to find Angelina actually _disliked_ the way I was behaving today. On an average day, she was the one most irritated by my know-it-all behaviour. Why on earth she was protesting against my improvement was beyond me.

She was usually so annoyed by me, in fact, that our conversations often went something like this:

"Kates, you're doing it wrong."

"I know, Ange."

"You should really pay more attention."

"I know."

"Your grades would be a lot better, and maybe you wouldn't take so many Bludgers to the head during practice if your mind was in the right place."

"I _know_, Ange."

"Ugh! Of course, I'd forgotten. Why am I bothering to try to help you? You already know _everything_."

It had become somewhat of my catchphrase. It was more out of habit than anything else. But I couldn't really be blamed with Angelina. She did tend to hover over me like some sort of helicopter parent. I couldn't help but be snarky. I _did_ know.

"Oh, and that Transfiguration essay you needed help with…would you like me to hand McGonagall a slip of paper that just reads _I don't know_ instead?" she questioned, eyeing me meaningfully. "Because your little stunt wouldn't really be complete unless you applied it to every aspect of your life."

"I don't know, Ange," I said, trying my best to sound unfazed. "If you think it'll help my cause."

Angelina scowled. I almost felt sorry for her.

Almost.

I knew what she was trying to pull. She was trying to make me slip-up. For some reason, Angelina had taken it upon herself to try and sabotage me.

Bloody Angelina. Didn't she realize how important this was for me?

She needed to realize that this was something I had to do. And…she would definitely have to try harder than that to break me.

Alicia watched on in quiet amusement as Angelina's disposition changed slightly.

"Don't you think that Goyle bloke is just breathtakingly handsome?" she said, staring at me with an almost defiant expression.

I almost laughed, but contained myself.

"This is really bothering you, isn't it, Ange?" I asked, with a wide grin on my face.

"You didn't answer my question," she countered.

"I don't know, Angelina," I said, my grin not faltering.

"You don't know?" she repeated. "Hmm, well, we can't very well let Roger hear the indecision in your voice. If you're not certain you're attracted to _Goyle_—"

"All right, that's enough," Alicia interrupted with a roll of her eyes and a wave of her hands. "Leave her alone, Ange,"

"Thanks, Leesh," I told her gratefully.

Angelina rolled her eyes.

At least Alicia was on my side…

"She needs to learn on her own that this whole idea is stupid," Alicia said authoritatively. "When it blows up in her face, maybe she'll realize how ridiculous she's being."

Er…maybe not.

Whatever, I didn't need them.

With a defiant look on my face, I eyed them both significantly, re-shouldering my bag.

"Coming to class?" I asked pleasantly.

They both shook their heads in exasperation.

"When will you learn, Katie Bell?"Alicia sighed.

I shook my head too.

"I don't know."

Here's a surprising fact. Potions class is actually much more enjoyable—actually, that's the wrong word—it's much more _bearable_ when I am practicing being _New_ Katie.

New Katie doesn't speak out in class gaining her detentions from Professor Snape. _New_ Katie doesn't lose house points for making up ridiculous fake answers to questions she doesn't know the real answers to.

Unfortunately, being New Katie also raised some difficulties. I had begun to realize I couldn't just answer questions with _I don't know_. To be honestly true to my word, I was going to have to go out of my way to prove that I was different—that I _didn't_ know everything.

In Potions class, that wasn't such a difficult thing to achieve.

"Hey Fred," I said, fiddling with the ladle in my potion.

Fred didn't look up from his spot next to me. His eyes remained on his cauldron, but he inclined his head a little to assure me he was listening.

"What is it?" he asked, sounding distracted.

He was effortlessly completing his own potion with his usual expertise. Fred was undeniably good at magic. Charms and Potions were two of his strongest subjects—although he excelled at Defence Against the Dark Arts as well. Everyone always said if he and George would put more effort into their school work, they would be top of the class, easily.

Sometimes I was absurdly jealous of him.

"Could you show me how to do this?" I asked. "I've mucked it up pretty good and I don't know how to fix it."

Although '_I don't know_' had become my catchphrase for the day, I was actually telling the truth. Potions was definitely not my strong point. However, I have never been one to admit I needed help. It's not like I'm too proud, but rather too stubborn. I hate admitting defeat. And I _really_ hate being wrong.

…looks like Roger's second claim definitely had some merit to it.

Stupid bugger.

"You want my help?" Fred asked, both looking and sounding surprised.

Usually, it wasn't until near the end of class that he would take pity on me and mutter instructions under his breath. It was only then that my potion would be suitable enough to hand in for marks. Clearly, Fred had anticipated today would be no different.

I nodded.

Obviously, Fred wasn't aware of my change in demeanour today.

"Sure, Kates," he said cheerfully under his breath (Snape demanded silence while we worked), "let's take a gander."

He leaned over from his desk, peering into my cauldron. His head was close enough for me to press my cheek against his face, and his breath blew stray strands of my hair around as he spoke into my ear.

"You really are rubbish at Potions, Katie," he chuckled.

I shrugged at him, smiling innocently. He surveyed me for a moment—his face unnervingly close—before a wide grin spread across his face. He turned away and began muttering quietly to me.

"Add two crushed porcupine quills, stir clockwise once, then counter-clockwise six times," he said hurriedly. "It'll turn green. Then add a hippogriff feather and presto, a perfect potion."

I couldn't help the smile that lit my face as he pulled away.

I mouthed my thanks, ensuring Snape didn't hear the exchange, and then began working on Fred's instructions.

I actually felt happy with myself that I had asked for help. It was a new experience for me…and really wasn't as bad as I had expected.

I crushed the porcupine quills in my stone bowl, then added it to the potion. I stirred it once clockwise as Fred had told me. Then once counter-clockwise…twice…three times…four times…five…six…it turned green, but didn't look anything like the potion Snape had showed us.

I picked up my hippogriff feather, and saw Fred nudge George in the side from the corner of my eye. They both turned to me with wicked grins on their faces.

Before I even had time to grow suspicious, the feather had dropped from my hand and—

**BANG!**

I was very suddenly _covered_ in green goop, and the room was filled with the hysterical laughter of Fred, George, and Lee…and quickly spread to every other student in the room.

Snape's glare almost burned a hole into my skull.

"Miss Bell, Weasley number one," he drawled in an almost bored tone. I didn't even manage to feel surprised that he knew Fred had something to do with it. "Detention tomorrow evening."

I wiped the crud from my face, glaring over at Fred.

The laughter didn't stop.

"You know, when we said this thing was going to blow up in your face, we meant _figuratively_," Angelina said, laughing hysterically.

"What were you doing, anyway?" Alicia asked. The three of us were in our dormitory. I had finally managed to get the green substance out of my hair. It took three showers, but I finally came clean. My good mood had officially gone down the drain with it. "You didn't have to let the potion explode in order to prove you didn't know what you were doing."

The girls had found the mishap positively hilarious, and had even gone so far as commended Fred for doing it. I suppose they thought it would dishearten me from my task at hand.

"You could have just handed in a rubbish mixture," Angelina said. "There was no need to make a scene."

"I wasn't trying to make a scene," I said defensively, flopping down on my bed, wringing out my dark hair. "I asked Fred for help. He thought it would be funny."

I frowned. It would be much easier to turn a new leaf if my friends weren't so keen on sabotaging me.

Although, I suppose Fred couldn't really be blamed. He wasn't in the loop like the girls were. He was only being his usual Fred-self. Not a day went by where he wasn't trying to irk me in one way or another. It just so happened that today was particularly devastating.

Still…I had a feeling even Fred—my best mate—wouldn't be supportive when it came to this. He truly despised Roger, and was strangely protective over me. Should he find out about the list, I wouldn't doubt he'd take it upon himself to slip the bloke a fainting fancy before his next Quidditch game. That definitely meant he would be on Alicia and Angelina's side when it came to this.

"You asked Fred for help?" Alicia asked, sounding just as surprised as Fred had been.

"I told you," I said, "I didn't know what I was doing."

"You _never_ know what you're doing," Angelina pointed out with a roll of her eyes. "You didn't have to put it out there for the world to see."

"Yes I did," I countered as I crawled into my bed. I was hoping they would leave me alone and let me get to sleep. It didn't look like that was going to happen just yet.

"Why?" Alicia asked.

"You think Roger's going to hear that a cauldron exploded in your face and suddenly come running back to you?" Angelina asked, snorting with laughter.

"That's really stupid, Kates," Alicia said in what I assumed was supposed to be a kind and gentle tone. It didn't help.

"Plus, if Fred knew what you were doing, he'd have your head," Angelina continued, as if that was supposed to somehow deter me from my mission.

"He doesn't know," I told them.

"No, _you_ don't know," Alicia said, laughing at her own joke.

Angelina wasn't amused, and neither was I.

"By using him in your stupid game, you're going to get him really angry," Ange warned, choosing to ignore Alicia's comment.

"No I won't," I told her. "You guys don't get it. I'm changing for the _better_," I stressed.

The girls exchanged a look of exasperation.

"No, I'm serious," I said. "This isn't just for Roger. Once I complete this list, everyone will benefit. Even Fred."

"Oh really?" Angelina asked. "What about number…eight, is it?" She leaned over to read the note on my bedpost. "_Her friends are obnoxious_? That one doesn't sound like it'll benefit Fred very much."

I stared blankly at her. Okay, she had me there.

"Why are you so concerned about Fred, anyway?" I asked.

They stared at me as though the answer were obvious. I glared back irritably.

"Seriously, what's the big deal?" I asked, beginning to grow extraordinarily frustrated.

Dammit, these two really were going to cause a setback in my plan. Already I was having difficulties keeping my mouth shut as well as I had yesterday.

Well, at least I was completely clueless. That was a plus for today's agenda, anyway.

"Didn't Fred ask you to go to Hogsmeade with him this morning?" Alicia asked sceptically.

I frowned. I vaguely remembered some sort of conversation arising at breakfast. But I couldn't recall exactly the topic of the talk. I had been preoccupied with something else. What was it? Oh right, Roger. He was with that nameless bimbo that infuriated me so much. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. I had forgotten about that. Damn, I hated her. Sure, I didn't know her name, exactly…but the way he was all over her! I just wanted to—

"Katie?"

I met Alicia's stare again realizing I had failed to answer her question.

"Uh…I don't know," I said honestly.

"Ugh!" Angelina said, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I have no bloody idea why we even bother trying to understand you, Katie Bell!"

"What's there to understand?" I protested. "You know perfectly well what's going on. You were there when I made up my mind!"

"Then what's all this about going to Hogsmeade with Fred and asking him to help you in Potions?" Alicia questioned.

"I _told_ you," I said. "I asked him for help because I was admitting to the universe that I, Katie Bell, do _not_ know everything."

"And Hogsmeade?" Alicia persisted.

"I always go to Hogsmeade with Fred and George. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is, he didn't ask you to go with him and George," Angelina put in. "He asked you as a _date_."

"Pff," I said, waving my hand airily at her. "Rubbish. Don't be stupid, Ange."

Angelina rolled her eyes. I ignored her entirely. There was absolutely no way Fred had meant his invitation as a date. The prospect was absolutely ridiculous. Bogus.

"Fine," she said, sounding both defeated and exhausted. "But you know, _Roger's _the one who wants you to be a bloody bimbo," she said in her authoritative voice. I knew then I was in for a lecture. "I don't see how asking _Fred_ for help will accomplish anything."

"Yeah, he didn't write the stupid list. You aren't going to convince Roger of anything by trying to impress Fred," Alicia said wisely.

"Unless," Angelina said, eyeing me speculatively, "unless _Fred's_ the one you're after."

I scrunched up my nose in distaste.

"No!"

"Good," Alicia said, "because if you were, you'd be going about it all wrong."

"What are you talking about?" I asked impatiently. What did any of this have to do with me and Roger?

"None of the things you're trying to do now would ever impress Fred Weasley," Alicia explained.

"Yeah," Ange agreed. "You'd be better off trying to plant Hagrid's undergarments in Snape's office…again."

Alicia snorted with laughter and I beamed with unabashed pride.

"Yeah, that was a good day," I mused, momentarily distracted by the memory.

The girls rolled their eyes.

"I don't see why you're so keen on Davies anyway, Katie," Angelina said. "He's clearly not your type."

"Excuse me?" I asked, feeling incredibly offended. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Calm down, don't start losing your temper," Angelina warned me. "I only mean he clearly doesn't think you're his type. He wrote a whole bloody list of things he thought you needed to change. Of course he's not your type."

I opened my mouth to protest, but Alicia stopped me.

"Katie," she said bracingly, "your type wouldn't try to force you to change. Someone _your type_ would embrace all of those things about you, not make you get rid of them."

I frowned at her. The logical part of my brain saw the sense in her words. But, of course, the illogical, hopelessly emotional part of my brain refused to believe it entirely. Roger _did _care about me. He _was_ my type. He was just trying to help me improve myself. It wasn't just for his sake. He wanted me to change for me. He wanted me to be a better person. Isn't that what a relationship is supposed to do for people, anyway? Make them into better human beings?

"What are you saying?" I asked, deciding against voicing my opinion. I was positive they'd have a rebuttal, and I didn't really want to hear it tonight. My day had been trying enough as it was.

"We're saying," Alicia said, eyeing Angelina as though to ascertain what she was going to say, "that you shouldn't bother with Roger."

"Exactly," Angelina said. "You shouldn't waste your time on someone who doesn't want you for who you are."

I rolled my eyes.

"In case you two haven't noticed," I said huffily, "No one has ever wanted me for who I am."

"That's not true," Angelina said wisely. "You've just got your head too far up your arse to realize it."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked angrily.

"It _means_," Alicia said.

"That you should spend less time trying to win back Roger," Angelina said, "and more time focusing on the attention you're getting from people who actually like you as you are, Katie."

"Namely, a certain Weasley twin," Alicia said pointedly.

They both fixed me with stares that were full of meaning.

It only left me feeling flustered and confused.

I went to bed that night realizing that my best mates are more mental than I am.


End file.
